Being jam packed in one of the Pope's stuffy, library rooms in the Vatican Museum and surrounded by Raphael's paintings on all sides of you can be a little overwhelming to say the least. Looking up at specifically, the School of Athens and the Disputa showed a completely different view/angle of this work. I mean, that IS pretty obvious considering we were in a crowded room craning our necks up to see Raphael's masterpieces, as opposed to seeing an image of it straight on in a textbook. This, however, allowed us to see all the small details of the figures Raphael included in the piece. Studying them allowed for the overall view and look of it as a whole. Being up close, especially near the bottom of the paintings, one could appreciate the beauty in all the little details he added; it never demand any kind of attention. We could see more clearly what each philosopher/religious figure was doing or holding in the School of Athens, and in the Disputa, the worldly leaders and religious figures were seen more clearly and the Holy Sacraments that were set up in the center of the piece. It was just kind of awe-inspiring. You walk in thinking it's another room of the Vatican with some more paintings from other fairly famous artists... and then suddenly you realize you are surrounded by THE Raphael masterpieces that are oh, so talked and raved about :). It was a wonderful surprise despite the awful humidity we soaked our way through.
-Kelsey
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